Media Coverage

Approximately 10,000 free meals were distributed to children across Sault Ste. Marie this summer through the Every Breakfast Counts program. Running throughout July and August, Every Breakfast Counts helps bridge the summer gap when school-based meal programs are not operating. MORE

Matthew Shoemaker has been returned to office for a second term as mayor.“ We ran this campaign on ideas and I’m happy to say positivity, not negativity won the day,” Shoemaker said while launching his victory speech in front of about 80 supporters. The victory saw Shoemaker garner 12,360 votes. MORE

Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said the conclusion of the demolition will be a welcome sight for the community and those who live near the long-vacant property. A master plan for the site is required within 36 months of the October 2025 agreement between the city and purchaser GIP. Shoemaker said city staff will be reporting back to council on the site in the near future. MORE

Council passed a resolution earlier this week directing staff to ensure the port business plan includes midstream mineral and biomass handling infrastructure, a ‘green’ port design and ensure that the port is promoted as a supply chain engine to complement the federal government’s ‘best trade customer’ approach. MORE

The City is encouraging residents, businesses, community organizations, and industry partners to help advance the proposed Port of Sault Ste. Marie project. “The Port of Sault Ste. Marie has the potential to create jobs, strengthen Canadian supply chains, and support efforts to build a more resilient and diversified Canadian economy,” said Mayor Matthew Shoemaker. MORE

City council unanimously agreed to direct staff to ‘buy Canadian’ to avoid cost increases as a result of tariffs. The tariffs, ultimately paid for by consumers, and the cost of doing business will increase for the city, the motion preamble reads. Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said it is important for staff to find a Canadian solution to avoid tariffs that will increase costs on the city. MORE

Approximately 10,000 free meals were distributed to children across Sault Ste. Marie this summer through the Every Breakfast Counts program. Running throughout July and August, Every Breakfast Counts helps bridge the summer gap when school-based meal programs are not operating. MORE

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again: Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and city council get kudos for their innovative approach to get something done to a property on the city’s waterfront that has been nothing more than an eyesore for the past decade.”  Read more

While he welcomed the new positions, Shoemaker said he views the announcement as a starting point – with hopes to see OLG exceed 150 new local hires by the end of the three-year commitment.

“I’m not done pestering,” he said. “My position has always been that all the jobs should be here because we are the headquarters. This gets us one step closer to that objective.”

It’s a position that’s been heard clearly by the provincial government, who credited Shoemaker’s advocacy as an important part of today’s announcement. Read more

“The steel worker income in our community doesn’t just support Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. It supports the regional economy, which includes the upper peninsula of Michigan, and that’s why it impacts more than just the Canadian steel market when you impose tariffs on Canadian byproduct because those dollars trickle back into the US.” Read more

(Chief) McCoy said he can call Shoemaker up anytime, and that he offered BFN guidance when they received the RHT settlement. (Chief) Bell said she has the mayor on speed dial after the two signed the Friendship Accord last month, which created new pathways for economic partnerships, property ownership and collaboration.

“It’s so unheard of to ever have had that kind of relationship,” said Bell. Read more

And the close bond with the city’s border twin in Michigan has been ruptured as a consequence of the escalating trade war between the two nations. Canadians, who frequently cross the border to live parts of their lives on the other side of the river, are hurt, angry and no longer feel welcome in the United States.

“The tariffs are so specific to our main industry that it feels personal, it feels like the American administration is attacking Sault Ste. Marie,” Mr. Shoemaker, 37, said in an interview this month.

Mr. Shoemaker’s own father worked at Algoma Steel. His mother immigrated from Italy after World War II, sponsored by an uncle who worked at the mill. So did the brothers who came with her, and her sisters’ husbands. Read more

The limited number of HART Hubs that will open could leave Sault Ste. Marie or other communities in a similar position without support. Gélinas noted Shoemaker’s letter-writing campaign to the Ministry of Health in favour of a hub being located in the Sault.

“Your mayor is doing the right thing by encouraging people to get involved, to write, encouraging to have this dialogue,” said Gélinas. Read more

The port could serve as a major transportation hub not only for steel, but also for mining, forestry, agriculture, advanced manufacturing and critical minerals.  

Looking ahead, the port could also attract new manufacturing investment to Sault Ste. Marie. The port only adds to the inexpensive industrial land in the region, the ready skilled labour market, and close access to rail and road as well. With anticipated growth in Northern Ontario, especially with critical minerals and the eventual Ring of Fire development, the port could very well create a bright future for Sault Ste. Marie. Read more

Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Matthew Shoemaker didn’t let the opportunity pass. 

With a front-row audience at a massive funding and expansion announcement for Tenaris that included Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal Minister of Industry Melanie Joly, Shoemaker slipped in a friendly reminder of the city’s top priority and his own request for a deep-water port. Shoemaker pointed out that Tenaris’s $306-million expansion project shows what is possible when government works together with industry and modernizing plants to position manufacturing with growth. 

“The story of our community has long been tied to energy and industry,” he said. Read more